Children from poor households should be enrolled for free school meals automatically to prevent thousands going hungry, a report by MPs has found.
The education select committee called for the change "without delay", warning that pupils who should be fed free of cost are missing out because their parents have not signed up to the scheme.
As of June 2024, around 2.1 million children were known to be eligible for free school meals in England - nearly a quarter of pupils.
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said the government "welcomed" the proposals and would carefully consider the recommendations.
In England, families are eligible to apply for free school meals if they are on universal credit and have a household income below £7,400 per year, after tax, alongside other benefits.
However, the committee heard evidence from an expert who estimated that one in 10 children in poverty are not receiving the meals.
Earlier this month, Kate Antsey, of the Child Poverty Action Group, told MPs, external that it was often because of language barriers or difficulty with the administrative process experienced by their parents.
Another estimate published, external in April 2024 by the think tank Policy in Practice put the number of children needlessly missing out on free school meals at 471,000.
The cross-party education committee said the government should change the current rules using the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill - which is currently making its way through Parliament - to remove the need for manual enrolment...read more